March 2023 Mini Reviews - part 2
Published: 14th February 2023 by Piatkus
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I went into this book solely liking the look of the cover and knowing that it was about a stubborn woman refusing to back down on what she wanted - sounded perfect to me! Other than that, I had no idea whether this would be another average romance, or something more, and I have to say I think this was actually such a good-quality, cute and fun romance. The chemistry between Lars and Susie felt really authentic, and I liked that their prior 'acquaintances from a previous relationship' status led into something much more, with this past blooming into a much more fruitful future. End of Story also gets a massive seal of approval from me because it reminded me so much of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire in the whole moving in because of a situation and then never leaving storyline! I really liked this one.
4 stars
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Caraval #1
Published: 31st January 2017 by Hodder & Stoughton
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
This book has been on my radar ever since it came out 6 (!) years ago, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to it! I think because of this, I did have quite high expectations going into my reading of it, and unfortunately they just weren't fully met. It was a massively enjoyable book, but I don't feel the need to continue on with the series. I always enjoy books concerning family dynamics, especially between 2 sisters, so that element of this was great for me, but I do feel as though Scarlett's mission to find her sister was lost at times, and while I understand this was so as to introduce the romance element, I felt like this also got lost at times within the story. I also felt it could be quite predictable at times, with the plot twists not surprising me like they intended, which isn't necessarily the worst thing, but just didn't propel me through the story too much.
Love & Other Scams by PJ Ellis
Published: 16th March 2023 by HarperNorth
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
The concept of this really intrigued me - the combination of the fake-dating trope alongside a diamond heist sounded like my kind of thing, and, if altered slightly, I do think this woould make a great premise for a film. Considering the action-packed synopsis, I was expecting Love & Other Scams to be fast-paced, with twists and turns, and for me to fly through it, but that wasn't the case. Instead, I found it to be one of my more slower reads recently, with an almost plodding quality to the narrative. I also didn't find myself reaching for it too often over the other books I had on the go. Saying all of that, I did really enjoy this book as a story about old friendships and a blossoming romance, but I just wouldn't consider it to be a heist novel, as it felt as though the conclusion to that storyline was just shoved in at the end with no real build-up.
The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin
Published: 19th October 2017 by Crimson Tree Publishing
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I had honestly completely forgotten about this book, or requesting it at the time, but the 1920s New York, mafia family setting is something I've always gravitated to in the past, so I was excited to see if this would provide a unique take on this extremely popular time period. It didn't really at all, but that didn't bother me hugely, as this is a tried-and-tested story, that has remained hugely popular for a reason. The story was riddled with cliches at times, down to the whole rich girl, poor boy, doomed love story, but I'm a fan of the trope and I really didn't mind. I do think it was a nice little twist that the big mafia family wasn't Italian, and that Benny never tried to rise up the ranks of Masie's family, instead staying true to his family the whole time. I did feel that the end tied up all the loose ends a bit too well, but not much of a shock there.
3 stars
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